Round Up the Unusual Suspects by Elizabeth Crowens is historical cozy. B. Norman Investigations is back at Warner Brothers Studio at the behest of Jack Warner himself. A stage hand was been found murdered on one of the set and Babs Norman and Guy Brandt are hired to not only find the killer but make sure there isn’t a second body in the wings. But the PIs have more than just murder on their minds—there’s Babs’s Japanese gardener she’s hiding from authorities, Guy’s draft number being called, Guy’s maybe new boyfriend, Babs’s fanatic suitor, and Hollywood being Hollywood as WWII rages.

Bottom line: Round Up the Unusual Suspects is for you if you like Casablanca and WWII era American stories told from a Cozy perspective

The brightest light in this story is the world Crowens created. It’s 1942 in Burbank, California. Warner Brothers Studio, led by Jack Warner, is pushing forward on projects as the world changes. WWII is underway. Pearl Harbor has happened, and now Japanese emigrants and descendants are under orders to turn themselves in to internment camps. Emigrants from across Europe have sought refuge in North America including the U.S. The draft is happening and able bodied young men from across the country are called to report for duty.

Within all of the uncertainty and anxiety of the time, Crowens placed a light-hearted adventure / mystery that highlights where people found relief—in other people. The cast of ROUND UP THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS is large and draws in characters you already know like Humphrey Bogart, Dashiell Hammett, Errol Flynn, and Ingrid Bergman. For fans of Casablanca, ROUND UP THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS is a behind-the-scene tour of the celebrated film and its stars.

There is a lot packed in between the covers. There are many characters and, aside from the famous ones, I did have some trouble keeping everyone straight. While mystery is an element, ROUND UP THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS is more dominantly an Americana story using mystery as the backdrop for seeing who we were then.

ROUND UP THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS is the 3rd book in the Babs Norman Golden Age of Hollywood Mystery Series. I read book 1 but not 2. The storyline stands on it’s own and doesn’t require reading the first books. However, Book 1 HOUNDS OF THE HOLLYWOOD BASKERVILLES, where dog napping is the crime to be solved, is just plain fun.

The Round Up the Unusual Suspects was released from Level Best Books and is promoted by Partners In Crime Tours and is available from online retailers. Check out PICT for links to all.

https://partnersincrimetours.com/round-up-the-unusual-suspects-by-elizabeth-crowens/

About Elizabeth Crowens

Elizabeth Crowens is bi-coastal between New York and Los Angeles, where she has worn many hats in the entertainment industry. Awards include Lefty nominee for Best Humorous Mystery, Agatha nominee in multiple categories, MWA-NY Chapter Leo B. Burstein Scholarship, NYFA grant, Eric Hoffer Award, Glimmer Train, Killer Nashville Claymore finalist, Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Top Picks, two Grand prize and six First prize Chanticleer Awards. Crowens writes Golden Age of Hollywood mystery with humor and alternate history in her Time Traveler Professor series. She also has a popular Caption Contest on Facebook.

www.ElizabethCrowens.com

Join us next week for Season 9 Stuff That Can Kill You. Jason Little is back with another terrifying mystery for you. It’s Fatal Crush where gravity … and everything that comes with it … is our STCKY means of murder.